


Otherside

by cheeziitt



Category: Red Dead Redemption (Video Games)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Zombie Apocalypse, Canon-Typical Violence, Hurt/Comfort, Illnesses, M/M, Major Character Injury, Not Beta Read, Slow Burn, Violence, Zombies
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-03
Updated: 2020-09-24
Packaged: 2021-03-06 15:42:39
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 7,801
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26261338
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cheeziitt/pseuds/cheeziitt
Summary: After the Red Plague turns people into ghouls, Arthur and the gang must figure out how to survive on the run.(Set in a modern universe, loosely follows the canon story)
Relationships: Arthur Morgan & Van der Linde Gang, Arthur Morgan/Charles Smith
Comments: 4
Kudos: 18





	1. The School

**Author's Note:**

> I have literally no idea what I'm doing lmao
> 
> Feel free to point out any mistakes

Tension was high within the makeshift camp. After days without rest in search of a place safe enough to set up a new base, the gang was at each other's throats. Davey and Mac had been infected and killed, and Sean was nowhere to be found, believed to be dead. The survivors were barely able to grab their belongings before they were forced to evacuate and move at Dutch’s frantic command after ghouls had stormed their base back in a town called Blackwater. Weary and tired, everyone huddled around a small fire in the middle of an open highway. 

“Stay strong everybody! Arthur is scouting for shelter, and should be back any moment! We’ll make it through this- we always have.” Dutch’s rough voice projected confidence. Panic was the last thing the gang needed. Hosea put a hand on his shoulder, his weathered eyes shining with concern.

“Should we be worried? He’s been gone for a while. Maybe we should send some people to look for him?”

Before Dutch could answer, Arthur burst through the undergrowth. The sudden noise had many members reaching for their guns, but they settled down when they realized who it was. The campfire illuminated Arthur's features, who was covered in dirt and panting, but there was no evidence that he was infected. His body sagged with fatigue.

“Arthur! Glad to have you back, son. What did you find? Were you bitten?”

Arthur wiped some blood off of his cheek and approached the gang, who began to gather around him. 

“I found a school building off to the east, not too far away. I wasn’t able to search inside but it looks safe enough. There’s a town nearby too. And no, I wasn't bitten.”

Dutch gave a satisfied grin and patted Arthur on the back.

“Good work.” He turned to the gang. “You heard him! We’ll leave at first light tomorrow. Get some rest, all of you. Javier, Bill, take guard duty.”  
The mood lightened up as everyone turned in for the night, hopeful. Even little Jack calmed down enough to sleep in his mother’s arms.

True to Dutch’s word, they were up as soon as the sun rose. They followed the road until Arthur directed them into the trees, trudging through the dewy brush. Occasionally a lone ghoul wandered towards them but never got far. As they neared the location of the school building, ghouls became more and more common, but with the help of everybody who was able to fight, they pushed through until the building peeked through the trees. Various vehicles were sprinkled around in the parking lot, and at the back of the building, a few yellow busses could be spotted. Cracked windshields shone in the sun.

“We’ll stop here until we know the building is safe. Charles, Arthur, John, and Javier, scout the interior. Make sure there are no threats before we set up. As for everyone else, do not let your guard down! There are ghouls about!” Dutch turned to the group of four. “Stay alert. Don’t get bitten. Keep your radios close and leave them on at all times. Use them if you need help. Understand?”

The four nodded collectively.

“Good luck.”

Arthur made sure he had his weapons ready and that his radio was working as the group made their way to the building entrance. 

“So,” he began, scratching his head, “How should we go about doin’ this? Should we split up?”

Javier shook his head as he loaded his pistol.

”Splitting up would be too dangerous. There could be hundreds of ghouls in there.”

“We could go in pairs,” Charles spoke up, gesturing to Arthur, “Arthur and I could search the west half, you and John could take the east half.”

“Good idea.”

Once they finally arrived at the entrance, they peered through the glass. There was no sign of life; a good sign. The door seemed to have some type of security system, but it no longer worked and the group had no problem entering. They were met with cool, yet stuffy air. 

“Alright.” Charles scanned the lobby. His voice was hushed. “Come on Arthur. Make sure you have your machete. We should try to be as quiet as possible to avoid attracting unwanted attention.”

Arthur nodded and began to follow Charles as he crept down the hallway. John and Javier split from them and continued in the opposite direction. To their left was a classroom, which they quickly entered. Immediately they recognized it as the nurse's office. The pair rummaged through the cabinets and the closets, collecting anything valuable or helpful. Arthur found a few empty syringes and some painkillers (unexpired, fortunately), while Charles found a large number of hygiene supplies which he stashed in his backpack. If they decided that the school was safe enough to make camp in, they would return the supplies back to the room; but for now, their best bet was to hold onto the supplies in case something went wrong and they had to escape quickly. 

Once everything had been stowed away, they stepped back into the hallway and opened the door to the next classroom. Inside it smelled like decaying flesh. Arthur turned to Charles with a disdainful look and prepared his machete. Charles readied his hatchet and together they crept into the room. True to their theory, a ghoul stood in the back of the classroom, staring hungrily out the window at the gang outside. It looked like it had once been the teacher.

Without hesitation, Arthur swung his machete and lodged it deep into the monster's collarbone, but it wasn’t deep enough. The ghoul gurgled and turned around, taking Arthurs machete with it. It lunged at Arthur, who jumped out of the way and scrambled over a desk. Charles jumped to the rescue and decapitated the ghoul with his hatchet before it could tackle his companion. 

With a sigh of relief, Arthur retrieved his machete from the pile of dust that lay in place of a corpse. Ghouls, if killed right, always decomposed into dust. The only way to kill them was to target the head until they disintegrated or simply decapitate them. The disease could be spread through a bite or allowing infected fluid into the body through other means, such as the mouth, nose, eyes, or a cut. The most characteristic trait was the reddening of the sclera, which gave it its name; the red plague. 

The two continued through the classrooms with little fuss until loud gunshots echoed from down the hallway. John and Javier were in trouble, and soon Arthur’s radio went off. He quickly answered and was met with John’s rough shouting. 

“Arthur! Charles! We’re trapped in the cafeteria and we’re surrounded by ghouls! We need help! Come quickly!”

The pair took off down the hallway and equipped their breathing masks, following the sounds of the gunshots. The ghouls in the classrooms were attracted to the loud noises and eventually, Arthur and Charles were running from a small crowd of the infected. They realized too late that they had run into a dead-end, and were now also surrounded by ghouls. 

“Well, Charles, looks like we’re going to have to fight.”

“Yeah.”

With that, they drew their weapons and began to shoot wildly at whatever stood in their way. Dust filled the air and made it hard to see, but the pair continued to fight. With a mighty swing of his hatchet, Charles felled three ghouls as Arthur shot two more with his pistol. With multiple ghouls taken care of, the pair were able to push up on the offensive until all of the infected were dead. When the dust finally settled and everything was silent (except for the far-off gunshots of Javier and John), they allowed themselves a moment to catch their breath, taking off their breathing masks. Arthur grabbed his radio and signaled John in. 

“Marston we’re headed your way. Just hold on. Don’t die just yet, cowboy.”

They received no answer which was an answer in itself. John and Javier needed help, and fast.

The cafeteria was a mess of broken furniture, filled with ghouls. In the middle, they could see John and Javier barely fending off their position on top of a pile of tables. Charles and Arthur jumped into action, picking off the stragglers who crowded in the back. 

“Nice of you to finally join us, Arthur Morgan! Didn’t think I would ever be so glad to see your face!” 

“Shut it, Marston. You’re lucky Javier is with you or else Charles and I would have left you to fend for yourself.”

With the four of them reunited, the ghouls began to diminish. Arthur and Charles were a good distraction to draw the zombies away from John and Javier, who could now easily pick them off one-by-one. Once the cafeteria had been cleared, the four collapsed into the seats of a table. Dust coated the ground and hung in the air along with the stench of decay. 

“Did you guys finish your side of the building?” Asked Charles, setting his backpack down at his feet.

“Ah, yeah. Many of the rooms were either blocked off or wouldn’t open. Most of them looked to be empty anyway.” Javier answered with a sigh.

“Good. I have a feeling this school will be a good place to lay low. I reckon we just cleared out the majority of the threat here. Once we’re ready we can finish the rest of the building together and then report back to Dutch.”

Nodding, Javier pulled out a can of lemonade from his bag and cracked it open. They passed it around the table until it was empty. Arthur worked on cleaning his machete while the others reloaded their guns and prepared to leave. Once they felt rested enough to continue, it didn’t take long for the group to finish clearing out the rest of the school building. They checked the bathrooms too and were pleasantly surprised when most of the toilets and sinks were functional. Aside from a few ghouls here and there, they made it back to the lobby unscathed. 

The afternoon sun bore down on them as they made their way to Dutch and the group, who greeted them with hopeful smiles. 

“Is it safe enough?”

Arthur stepped forward and spoke for the group.

“We cleared out most of the ghouls. It should be safe for us. Plus, it has multiple rooms and bathrooms. This is a good place for us, Dutch.”

“Alright, son. Thank you, Charles, John, Javier. Arthur, come and help me with my stuff.”

It took the rest of the day and well into the night for the group to get settled into the school. Susan and Pearson ordered people around and made sure everything stayed as orderly as possible. Many people, unless they insisted against it, had their own room. They stacked the desks and chairs off to one side of the classrooms to clear more room for bedrolls, cots, and belongings. John, Abigail, and Jack shared an old history classroom. Arthur set up next door in a smaller room, which seemed to be a storage room for textbooks and school supplies. Dutch and Molly set up in the large art room. The girls all set up in a few of the literacy rooms. Hosea was able to get the security system up and running again, which included the security cameras and the intercom. He gave a quick announcement.

“Hello, residents of the school! This is Hosea Matthews calling in to wish you a good night! Hopefully, we can all get some adequate rest for the first time in a few long, long days. Thus, do not let your guard down just yet. We may still have unwanted guests! Thank you.” 

There was a click and the intercom went silent. Dutch gave a hearty laugh from where he sat in the art room. 

“I love that Hosea!”

Charles, Javier, Bill, Hosea, and Lenny all set up in the small gym, stashing their belongings in the bleachers. Micah adamantly insisted upon getting a big room all to himself, so he set up in the music room. Strauss and the Reverend took the two cots in the nurse's office and decided they would oversee the medical supplies. In the cafeteria, they stored their extra supplies and decided it would be the main meeting place, as it was attached to the kitchen where Pearson could set out meals.

Arthur helped out where he could, but eventually, his body grew too tired to be useful. Susan dismissed him to his room so he could sleep. For the first night in a long time, he was able to sleep soundly. 

In the morning he made his way to the cafeteria to get some breakfast. Pearson greeted him sluggishly.

“Good morning Mr. Morgan. Thanks for finding this place. There was a lot of canned food in the back of the kitchen.”

Arthur rubbed his beard and grabbed a tray.

“S’nothing. I’m just glad we got a roof over our heads now.” He gestured over to Jack and Abigail eating breakfast at a nearby table. “I feel bad for the kid. All this moving around can’t be good for him.” 

Pearson frowned.

“You’re right about that Mr. Morgan. I guess now we just hope for the best and keep him as safe as possible.”

Arthur gave a nod to the cook and found himself a table. He pulled out his journal and recorded the events of the day prior. He had just finished sketching out the school building when someone cleared their throat behind him. It was Uncle.

“Arthur, what are you doin’ sittin’ by your lonesome, boy?”

Arthur put away his journal and grumbled.

“I was enjoying some peace and quiet before you came along. Why don’t you go bother Pearson? I’m sure you two can exchange equally long and equally boring stories about before the plague.” 

“Come on Arthur, don’t be so sour!” Karen intervened, sitting down in the seat next to him. Scowling, Arthur shoved a spoonful of applesauce in his mouth and rolled his eyes. 

“Fine. Sit down then, Uncle. Guess Karen wants to hear you talk.”

Karen sputtered.

“Hey now, I didn’t say that! I just didn’t want to hear you bullyin’ the poor old man.”

The three bickered for a little while until Dutch beckoned Arthur away. Arthur quickly finished his food and took his tray back to Pearson before making his way over to Dutch, who stood next to Hosea.

“We have enough supplies for now, but sometime we need to check out the town you mentioned. Come to me within the next few days with a party to go on a supply run. That’s all son.”

Arthur nodded and wished Dutch hadn’t pulled him away just to tell him that. He wouldn’t complain openly to Dutch or even Hosea, but he often wondered why he was always the one Dutch ordered to do everything. Everybody in the gang (besides Jack of course) was capable of the tasks Dutch gave him. Sometimes he just wanted a break, a vacation. But he knew, deep in his heart, ever since the plague began in his teen years, a vacation was a faraway fantasy. 

He left the cafeteria and returned to his room, grabbing his supplies. Before a party left for the town within the next few days he might as well scout the area. On his way out the door, he ran into Lenny, who looked like he just woke up.

“Where you goin’, Arthur?”

Arthur tipped his hat in greeting and answered.

“I was just going to scout the nearby town, see if it’s safe. You wanna come? I could always use the backup.”

Lenny’s eyes brightened. 

“Oh, yeah! I’ll come. Just let me grab some food to eat first.”

“Sure. Meet me here in the lobby when you’re done.”

Lenny nodded and hurried down the hall. With a sigh, Arthur sat down on a bench and took the time to make sure he had everything he would need in his backpack, especially his gun and his binoculars. He also had his journal, some basic first aid supplies, and some food. After he double-checked his bag for the essentials, he grew bored, fiddling with the buttons on his flannel to entertain himself. His eyes trailed down to his worn boots. Eventually, he would need to find new ones. Arthur closed his eyes and leaned his head back, taking a long deep breath through his nose. A nap wouldn’t hurt.

Lenny shook him awake a few minutes later, looking amused. 

“Wakey wakey old man! Or would you rather swap fishing stories with Hosea and Uncle and complain about your aches and pains?”

Arthur sat up and stretched, grumbling. Lenny helped him off the bench, gave him his bag, and together they left the building. They waved goodbye to John on guard duty through the security cameras.

The morning air was fresh and cold. Arthur almost wished he brought his coat but knew that it would get warmer throughout the day. They made their way through the parking lot and followed the main road away from the school. A sign appeared in the distance and as they got closer, Arthur was able to make out what it said. 

VALENTINE  
6 MILES

They stopped in their tracks, pavement crunching underneath their boots. 6 miles? There was no way they would be able to walk six miles to and six miles back. Lenny turned to Arthur, shoulders sagging with disappointment. 

“Should we… turn back?”

Arthur scanned their surroundings. 

“Maybe we could just scout the area around the school instead and make sure there aren’t any nearby threats to base.

“Ah, I suppose. That’s not nearly as fun though.”

“Not everything in life is gonna be fun, kid.” Despite his stern tone, he gave the kid a comforting pat on the shoulder. “Come on. This is more important anyways.”

Sighing, Lenny followed Arthur back down the road. When they could see the parking lot they detoured into the woods. Birds chirped in the trees swaying in the breeze. Sun shone through the leaves and created dappled light on the forest floor. A small path led them into an incline. The trees fell away to a ledge overlooking the surrounding area. It took Arthur’s breath away, and he committed the picture to his memory so he could draw it later. In the far distance, he could see some buildings, and he soon figured that it must be Valentine. Lenny looked just as awed as him, and was so distracted that he didn’t notice the ghoul behind him until it tackled him to the ground. The two tumbled over the ledge, and with a frantic shout, Arthur looked down. Lenny held onto the edge with one hand, face twisted in panic. The ghoul was nowhere in sight. Arthur fell to his knees and grabbed Lenny's arm.

“Arthur! Help me!”

“I..” he grunted as he tried to yank Lenny back onto solid land, “I’m tryin’!”

Lenny groaned as he slipped further, eyes scrunched closed. The muscles in Arthur’s arms bunched up as he pulled Lenny onto the cliff, and together they collapsed into a pile on the ground, panting. 

“You… you saved my life. I almost died.”

Arthur got to his feet slowly then stuck out a hand to Lenny. Lenny took it gratefully and stood up.

“You still up to scouting or are you ready to go back to the school?”

“I think I’m going to go back to the school. One near-death experience is more than enough. Are you going to stay out here?”

Arthur nodded and patted Lenny on the back.

“I’ll head back in soon, but for now I’m going to finish scouting the perimeter. Sorry we weren’t able to go to town.”

Lenny shrugged.

“That’s alright Arthur. Stay safe out here.”

They waved their goodbyes and soon Arthur found himself alone. Readying his machete he trekked through the forest, making sure not to stray too far from the school. He kept his guard up and avoided large bushes that could hide a ghoul. The rest of his patrol passed without any more trouble, save for two ghouls that jumped him in the parking lot; which he killed swiftly. When he made it back to the building, the sun shone high in the sky. 

He pressed the button next to the door so whoever was on guard duty could let him in, and when it gave a small ding he pulled the door open readily. The air-conditioned interior was welcome. Arthur took off his hat and ran a hand through his hair, giving a wave to Abigail and Jack as he made his way to his room. 

He set his stuff down on the floor and sat on his cot, pulling out his sketchbook. He drew a light sketch of the landscape from before and put it away, deciding he could work on it later.

“I reckon I should go recruit some people for the trip to Valentine,” he muttered to himself as he left his room.

Down the hallway, Arthur could see Charles and Javier chatting together, and decided that was a good place to start. The two stopped talking as he approached.

“Speak of the devil. Hello Arthur!”

Arthur narrowed his eyes at Javier, who grinned back at him. 

“You gossipin’ about me, Mr. Escuella?” 

Charles cleared his throat and elbowed Javier.

“Javier is being a fool. Did you need something?”

Giving Javier one last suspicious look, Arthur turned to Charles and rubbed at his beard.

“Dutch wants a group to check out the local town, Valentine. Y’all wanna come with?”

“Of course,” exclaimed Javier before Charles could answer, “when will we be leaving?”

“I’m not sure… within the next few days. Dutch’ll proba-“

Arthur was cut off by Bill, who came up next to him and lay a heavy hand on his shoulder.

“Are you planning something, Morgan?”

Suppressing the urge to roll his eyes, Arthur faced Bill and shimmied away from his hand.

“Williamson. We’re going to go to the nearby town sometime soon. You... wanna ride along?”

“Sure, got nothing else better to do. Just give me the word and I’ll be ready. Now if you’ll excuse me…”

With that, Bill continued down the hall as if nothing had happened. Arthur shook his head with a sigh.  
“Lord knows what he’ll get us into.”

Arthur found Dutch reading in his room and informed him who all volunteered to go to Valentine. Dutch nodded in approval and sent Arthur on his way, saying that “further details will be provided to the group later.”

The rest of the day Arthur helped wherever he could. He helped Pearson haul food and clean the kitchen, then after that helped arrange desks and tables to make the rooms more comfortable. Grimshaw grew tired of him asking for extra work so she put a broom in his hands and told him to sweep wherever he wanted. 

Sweeping surprisingly turned out so therapeutic to Arthur that he lost track of time until John found him and told him dinner was ready. John teased him about it but Arthur just ignored him, propping the broom up on a nearby wall. He followed John down to the cafeteria, where they both grabbed a tray and sat down at a table. Abigail and Jack followed, then later Hosea— bringing his crazy stories with him. 

“Did I ever tell you guys about the time I caught a massive trout in the middle of a thunderstorm?”

Hosea carried on with his story and Arthur listened, smiling fondly at his father figure. He excused himself once Hosea finished his tale and his tray was empty. Nobody spared him a passing glance as he made his way back to the kitchen to return his tray to Mr. Pearson. 

After he got rid of his tray and returned back to his room, he realized how neglected his appearance had been the past few days. He dug out his shaving kit and some extra clothes from his bag and made his way to the men's locker room to shower. 

The gym was empty and dark, but Micah stood inside the bright locker room, clad only in a towel around his waist. Arthur tried not to look too closely, a scowl gracing his face.

“Like what you see, Morgan?”

“Put some goddamn pants on!”

Arthur gave him a disgusted side-eye glance and set his stuff down on the bench. Micah laughed and dropped his towel shamelessly, exchanging it for some pants. Arthur busied himself with finding a shower head that worked— so he would be spared the graphic image that was Micah's ass. 

“The last one works just fine. See you later, cowpoke.”

The door opened and closed, and Arthur found himself alone. 

He made short work of his shower, combing through his hair and washing all the buildup and dirt out of the blonde strands. Once he was satisfied with his hair he scrubbed his body, resisting the urge to whistle a tune. With one last wipe down he shut the water off and wrung out his ever-growing hair, allowing himself to drip for a few moments. Then he pulled his towel off the hook on the wall and dried himself off, paying extra attention to his head and face. He put on his pants and left his stall, bringing his shave kit to the sink so he could take care of his beard. 

After he was cleanly shaved (for the first time in a long time), he cut a good amount of his hair off of his head until it was short and no longer touching his neck. The mirror reflected a man he hadn’t seen in months. He examined his reflection for any missed patches and when he found none he cleaned up his mess, making sure to throw away any particularly long strands of hair. 

Arthur threw on a thin shirt and gathered his things, giving the mirror one last look before leaving. Charles stood outside the locker room, leaning against the wall. His eyebrows shot up when he noticed Arthur's new look, giving him a provocative once over and a small smile. 

“You look good, Arthur. I almost forgot what you looked like without a beard. You should shave more often.”

If it was anyone else, Arthur wouldn’t have been so bashful, maybe even a little offended, but he couldn’t stop himself from carding a hand through his damp hair, cheeks warm with a grin on his face. 

“Ah... thanks, Charles. I’ll keep that in mind.”

Charles just laughed and waved him off. 

“Goodnight Arthur. Get some sleep.”

Arthur just nodded and swallowed thickly, trying not to walk too fast to the door. His heart was racing, but the barren hallway outside gave him some peace. He returned to his room ready to collapse into bed. Instead, he sat down and refined his sketch from earlier, adding small details and even a little bit of color with the blue crayon Jack gave him. After he was happy with his drawing he shut his journal and crawled into his cot. Sleep claimed him quickly.

He dreamt that he was in a town. Lenny’s footsteps were next to his on the cracked pavement. They walked and talked until the sky grew black. Ghouls poured out of alleyways and from around corners. They ran and ran and ran. The ghouls were faster. Arthur glanced behind him and caught a glimpse of his first girlfriend -ghoulified- Eliza, which made his heart fall to his feet. He choked out a pained sound, a sob or a groan he couldn’t tell, and kept running. Lenny wasn’t beside him anymore. In his place was Micah, who pulled a gun on him and shot him in the leg. Ghouls pounced as he crumpled to the floor, doomed.


	2. Valentine

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The gang travels to Valentine

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Writing is hard and there's probably a bunch of mistakes sorry hopefully it's not too bad
> 
> Enjoy!

Arthur woke up agonizingly slowly. It must’ve been early in the morning. Feeling stifled and confused he dressed and made his way to the cafeteria to get coffee. 

Mary-Beth, sitting at a nearby bench, waved him over. Arthur couldn’t say no— despite knowing what Mary-Beth was going to ask him. He sat down across the table from her with a grunt.

“How are you, Mr. Morgan? You look a little pale. Although, I do like the new look.”

“Thanks, I’m alright. How ‘bout yourself?”

Mary-Beth didn’t take this as an answer.

“I’m fine, Arthur, but you didn’t answer my question. How are you, really?”

Arthur took a small sip of his scalding coffee and debated on whether or not he should be honest with her. 

“I…,” he sighed, “I don’t know. I’ve been a little stressed. I can’t shake the feeling that something bad is going to happen.”

“Why do you say that?”

“Well, I had a nightmare last night. It’s no big deal. I’m just a little on edge. I'll be fine.”

Mary-Beth frowned.

“What happened in your nightmare?”

“You aren’t gonna let this go, are you.” The corners of his lips quirked up in a fond smile.

“It started out in some random town. Lenny and I were just walking down the road. Then, all of the sudden, the sky turned black and ghouls poured in out of nowhere. We began to run but I lost him somewhere along the way. Micah appeared next to me and shot me in the leg. That's where it ended.” He left out the part about Eliza, fearing it was too personal to share.

“Oh, Arthur. That sounds awful.” She reached across the table and squeezed his hand comfortingly. There was a moment of thoughtful silence, and Arthur could tell she was processing everything. Arthur spoke for her.

“What really bothers me, though, is the Micah thing. You suppose he would actually do that?” 

“Micah is a no-good snake. I wouldn’t put it past him.”

After saying that, Mary-Beth looked around the room to make sure Micah wasn’t within earshot, while Arthur nodded and took a sip of his coffee. Mary-Beth stood up when she saw Ms. Grimshaw across the cafeteria. 

“Well, thank you for the chat, Arthur. I hope you feel better soon. Ms. Grimshaw is calling me.”

She gave Arthur a pat on his shoulder and left him alone at the table, nursing half a cup cold coffee.

Feeling only a little better, he dumped the rest of his coffee and left the cafeteria. He wandered the hallways, finding himself at the old library. Inside, it smelled of dusty books and mildew. A familiar figure rested against the back wall, nose nestled deep inside a large book. 

“Good morning, Arthur. Join me.” 

Hosea hadn’t even looked up from his book. Arthur lowered himself onto the ground next to his father figure with a small groan. 

“Whatcha readin’?”

Hosea finally looked up from his book, giving him a small sleepy smile.

“To tell the truth, I’m not even sure. I’m half-convinced this author is brain dead.” They shared a laugh. “Here.”

The old man reached next to him and handed him a book. Without a word, Arthur took it and began to read.

He’d been reading for a while until Pearson came in and announced that breakfast was ready. Arthur helped Hosea off of the floor and together they followed Pearson to the cafeteria. Pearson filled the silence with his usual ramble, giving unwanted details about food inventory and his recent personal endeavors. Neither Arthur nor Hosea really paid him any mind.

The cafeteria was bustling with activity when the group arrived. Pearson gave them a wave and headed back behind the counter. Hosea, wishing to talk to Dutch alone, nudged Arthur in the direction of the kitchen.

After getting breakfast— which consisted of a spam sandwich with a side of canned peaches and granola— Arthur spotted Lenny sitting alone at a large table across the cafeteria. He made his way over and sat down next to the man, who greeted him with a nod. The two ate in silence. Eventually, Javier and Charles joined them, supplying the large table with much needed conversation.

“Good morning Arthur, Lenny,” Javier said as he plonked his tray down on the table.

“Morning, Javier. Charles.” 

As the two got comfortable in their seats there was a small moment of silence.

“So, any word on our trip to Valentine?”

Arthur shook his head and scooped a peach slice into his mouth. It was syrupy sweet.

“Nah. Dutch hasn’t said anythin’ yet. He probably will soon.”

“Can I come?” Asked Lenny, excitement shining in his eyes. Memories of his nightmare flashed through Arthur’s head and he suppressed a shiver. Absolutely not.

“No. You gotta stay here and protect the others in the event of an emergency. After yesterday I’m a little weary of lettin’ you tag along with me. You almost died, y’know.”

Lenny grumbled angrily and ignored the pitying looks from Javier and Charles.

They continued to eat with occasional small talk until a rough voice interrupted them. They collectively groaned. It was Micah.

“Howdy, folks. Ready to have some fun tomorrow at Valentine?” 

Micah swaggered up to the group and plopped unceremoniously next to Arthur, who turned to him with a questioning look.

“What do you mean ‘tomorrow’? You ain’t invited. Our group is big enough already. I just got done tellin’ Lenny that he couldn’t come.”

Micah let out an obnoxious laugh that echoed around the cafeteria. 

“Tell that to the big man! He was practically on his knees begging me to come.”

Icy tension filled the air. Arthur’s appetite was gone.

A crackle from the intercom snapped them out of their argument, followed by Dutch’s voice.

“Good morning, everyone! Hosea and I have finalized the details of tomorrow's trip to Valentine so listen up! The group will be Bill, Charles, Arthur, Javier, and last but not least, Micah. We will meet early in the morning in the lobby. Do not be late! If you have any concerns do not hesitate to ask Hosea or me. That's all, everybody. Stay out of trouble.”

Micah’s face contorted with smugness. 

“You heard him, Bell. Stay out of trouble.” 

With that, Arthur stood up and stalked away. 

Upon arriving at his room he pulled out his satchel in order to pack. He gathered his weapons, food, water, ammo, and his journal, and expertly arranged them in his bag. 

The rest of the day passed uneventfully. Arthur grew restless. His journal filled up with sketches of the school rooms. As nighttime fell upon the gang, Arthur sat vigilant in the security office (as it was his rotation of guard duty), routinely checking the camera footage. He slumped over his cold coffee, lethargic. 

Eventually, Bill came to take his place. They exchanged subtle nods but spoke no words as they passed each other. Footsteps shattered the fragile silence.

He wasn’t able to fall asleep until an hour later— after forty-five minutes of staring at the ceiling drowsily. He doesn’t dream, and when he wakes up it feels as if he hadn’t fallen asleep at all.

Breakfast— simple ham and cheese sandwiches— were pre-prepared by Pearson the night before. Arthur took one along with a small cup of juice and ate quickly. Nobody joined him. Once his breakfast was gone he traveled back to his room and got ready for the trip, throwing on his leather jacket and his satchel. Javier and Bill were already in the lobby, groggily bantering back and forth. They greeted Arthur and elapsed into quiet. Charles joined them a few moments later, donning a heavier corduroy jacket rather than his usual dark blue hooded sweatshirt. As usual, he seems perfectly alert.

The group sat, waiting on Micah.

And sat, and sat, and sat.

Still no sign of him.

Arthur grew restless, bouncing his leg up and down whilst chewing on his lip.

“Y'all reckon we should just leave him? He’s thirty minutes late.”

Bill shrugged dumbly, adjusting his backpack on his shoulders, hitting Javier in the process.

“Hey, watch it, Williamson!”

“Maybe you should give me some personal space!” 

Javier perked an eyebrow, crossing his arms.

“YOU were the one who sat next to ME. Not the other way around. You should give ME some personal space.”

Bill glared, face red, realizing that Javier was right.

“Gentlemen, gentlemen! Settle down.”

The group turned to Dutch standing in the entryway, Micah in tow. Arthur stood up.  
“Good, you found the bastard. We were about to leave with him”

Dutch just waved him off and gave him a fixed look.

“He and I were having a conversation, Arthur. There’s no need to be so rude. Have a little patience.”

Arthur grumbled as Micah gave him a large smirk. Dutch ignored him and continued talking.

“Follow me, boys. Hosea has prepared a van for you and is waiting in the parking lot. I’ll show you where,” he opened the school doors with a flourish, “the van is silent enough that it shouldn’t attract any ghouls. If it does, well, that's on Hosea, not me.”

Arthur fell in step with Charles, who gave him a friendly look. The group made their way through the parking lot. Sure enough, Hosea stood leaned up against a large brown van, chewing on a toothpick.

“It’s about time you boys showed up. I almost thought you left without the van!” Hosea let out a chuckle and slid the door open. A musty smell wafted through the air. 

Arthur climbed into the passenger seat next to Hosea, who began to fiddle with the radio while everyone shuffled into the vehicle. A loud pop song blared over the speakers, making all the van inhabitants jump. Hosea scrambled to turn the volume down.

“Boy, someone was having a party in here. It wasn’t you, was it, Arthur?”

Arthur sputtered and pointed an accusing finger at Hosea. 

“Hey! You’re the one who was fixin’ it! I’ve never even been in this van before.”

The van filled with laughter. Arthur slouched in his seat, embarrassed. Hosea playfully nudged his shoulder and turned the keys in the ignition.

“Lighten up, boy!”

The ride to Valentine was tense but short. Soon enough they passed an old rusty sign welcoming them into Valentine. Hosea parked in the shade of an alley, and everyone filed out. 

“I was thinkin’ there would be more ghouls,” exclaimed Javier, shouldering his bag.

Valentine was quiet. Occasionally somebody would enter the run-down grocery store or the bar, but other than that the town seemed to be empty. Hosea turned to the group.

“Okay, we’ll split up. Arthur and I will check out the grocery store. Everyone else can check out the bar. I have a feeling that’s where you’ll find everyone. At least they’re humans and not ghouls.”

The group split up. Arthur tailed Hosea towards the grocery store.

Inside the store was a little messy, but the worker greeted them kindly enough. The pair began to scour the aisles for supplies that the gang could need. The shelves were mostly picked over, but once in a while, they would find a hidden gem shoved to the back of the shelf.

They filled a basket with groceries and bartered the price with the worker once they were done. Hosea, who worked his silver tongue, snagged a major discount. They dropped the bags off in the van.

“Arthur, why don't you head over to the bar and check on the others. I’ll poke around.”

Nodding and giving a small wave, Arthur crossed the street and entered the bar.

It was more crowded than he expected, but he found his group easily. They sat at a circular table in the corner, nursing beers, surrounded by women. Arthur cringed a little, thinking back to Eliza in his dream. His boots clicked on the floor as he made his way over. Javier caught his eye and smiled, pulling up a chair.

“Ah, Morgan! Good to see you. Sit down, sit down.”

He felt a little uncomfortable in such a big crowd, but he ordered a beer anyway.

The group filled him in that Valentine was constantly threatened with the ghouls that lurked in the nearby woods. They traded with independent merchants to keep the store and the bar running. Overall, it was a pretty successful community. The gang could fit in nicely.

A waitress gave Arthur his drink with a sly wink. He downed half the bottle. 

Micah came up to him and slung an arm around his shoulder. His rancid breath was hot against his ear.

“Ay, Morgan, why don’t you find yourself a whore? That waitress was eyeing you…” he trailed off, stepping away from Arthur. “Unless women aren’t your thing, of course. That would explain your bad luck with ‘em.”

Arthur stood up and grabbed the man by the collar. Micah’s smile only grew.

“Keep talking and you’ll end up with a black eye. Dutch may like you, but I don’t. Stay the fuck away from me, you snake.”

He threw Micah down on the floor, finished his beer, and stalked out of the bar.

Luckily, he spotted Hosea across the street talking with two people, and upon getting closer he realized they were Trelawney and Sean. All of his anger was forgotten as he neared the trio.

“Ah, Arthur! Look who I found sniffin’ about at the hotel!”

Sean broke into a big smile and Trelawney gave a theatrical bow. 

“Arthur! How’re ya! I bet you missed me!” He strode forward and gave Arthur a bear hug, who in turn shoved him off with a fond smile.

“Save that for Karen, why don’t ya.” 

The group snickered, but Sean brushed them off. Hosea spoke up.

“Where’s the rest of the group? Are they still in the bar?”

“Yeah, I left because I couldn’t stand Micah. I reckon it won’t be long until they’re kicked out.”

Hosea nodded, chuckling. 

“Well, I think we’re done here. I’ll go round them up. Why don’t you get the van started, Arthur?”

Following Hosea’s orders, Arthur took Trelawney and Sean to the van and started it up.

“So… did you two find anything useful while you were away?”

“Hey! I’ll have you know that I almost got eaten alive! I didn’t have time to worry about bein’ useful!”

Arthur rolled his eyes.

“What about you, Trelawney?”

“Oh yes, I found a lot of good intel. Dutch’ll be pleased, I’m sure. I’ll tell you everything once we get to camp.”

Hosea approached the van with the rest of the group, who were surprised to see Sean and Trelawney.

The van was filled with chatter as Hosea drove them back to the school. Even Arthur and Charles participated in the conversation when they could. 

When they got back to the school, Hosea immediately called a meeting in the cafeteria for a celebration. The other gang members were filled with joy seeing that, not only was Valentine a good town, they also had found two of their lost members. Alcohol was passed around and Pearson prepared an extra nice meal to celebrate.

“I actually found Sean on a rundown homestead,” Trelawney began, “he had been camping there for a few days and I had needed shelter from an incoming storm. It was a lucky coincidence that we ran into each other like that! After, we teamed up and found our way to Valentine, where we’ve been staying for about a week.”

After Trelawney explained what had happened since his separation (Sean of course barging in every so often to provide unnecessary details), Sean took over, standing on the table, and explained his side of the story— which seemed a bit too heroic for reality.

Arthur stopped listening after a while and instead focused on Javier, who sat playing his guitar nearby.

When the large crate of booze they bought in Valentine was brought out, Arthur couldn’t say no. He took two bottles and settled down, pulling out his journal and his pencil.

He drew the scene before him. Dutch and Molly dancing, Javier singing, Sean telling his stories to Karen, and everything else he could possibly fit onto the page. 

He realized something. 

Charles was nowhere to be found. Frowning, Arthur stood up, grabbed another bottle of alcohol, and began his mission to find his friend.

He already had an inkling of where Charles was, so he headed down the hallway confidently, the sound of the party fading away with each step.

Sure enough, he found the man in the security room.

“Charles, what are you doin’ out here? You should be at the party. These cameras ain’t goin’ nowhere.”

Charles turned to him, glancing at him passively.   
“Someone’s gotta keep watch. Go back and enjoy yourself, Arthur. Don’t worry about me.”

But Arthur just plopped down on the extra chair and handed Charles a bottle. 

“Nah, I’m good. Sean’s voice is startin’ to annoy me anyway. Unless you don’t want me here of course.”

Charles’s brown eyes softened. 

“I’d like it if you stayed. Don’t feel like you have to.”

Arthur just waved him off and pulled out his journal again, getting comfortable. Next to him, Charles cracked open the bottle and took a drink. 

“You know,” began Charles thoughtfully, “It made my day when you threw Micah on the ground like a sack of potatoes. My dislike for that man is strong.”

Arthur laughed. 

“I’d do it again if I could. I don’t know why Dutch keeps him around.”

Charles shrugged, turning to Arthur, who was cleaning up his sketch from earlier. 

“What do you draw in that journal of yours?”

Self-consciously Arthur closed the book, then opened it again when he remembered that Charles would be the least likely person to judge him. He handed it to him.

“Everything. Usually scenery, but sometimes I draw the gang. As you can see.”

Charles’s eyes widened as he gently turned the pages, studying each drawing carefully.

“Arthur, these are amazing. I had no idea you could draw so well. Where did you learn to do this?”

Heat rose to Arthur’s cheeks and he shifted in his seat.

“Ah, well, Hosea taught me the basics, but I’m mostly self-taught. It comes with years of practice I suppose.”

Charles nodded absentmindedly, still transfixed on all the little doodles and stories on every page. 

“I’m glad you showed this to me, Arthur. You should take pride in your work. Don’t hide it, no matter what Marston or Williamson says.”

The two continued to talk until the early hours of the morning when Arthur could barely keep his eyes open. They parted ways outside of his room, exchanging soft goodbyes. 

Arthur had no problem falling asleep, thoughts of warm brown eyes sending him into a peaceful slumber.


End file.
